1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a shock absorber configured to generate a damping force against a stroke of a piston rod.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a tubular hydraulic shock absorber mounted on a suspension apparatus of a vehicle, such as an automobile, is configured in such a manner that a piston with a piston rod coupled thereto is slidably fitted in a cylinder sealingly containing fluid, and a damping force adjustment mechanism including an orifice, a disk valve, and/or the like controls a flow of the fluid that is caused by a sliding displacement of the piston in the cylinder, thereby generating a damping force against a stroke of the piston rod.
Further, a hydraulic shock absorber disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 2006-38097 includes a backpressure chamber (a pilot chamber) formed behind a disk valve, which is a damping force generation mechanism, with a flow of fluid partially introduced into the backpressure chamber to apply an inner pressure in the backpressure chamber in a direction causing the disk valve to be closed. Then, this hydraulic shock absorber controls valve opening of the disk valve by adjusting the inner pressure in the backpressure chamber.
This configuration can enhance flexibility in adjusting a damping force characteristic.